Second and 9 from the Baltimore 41-yard line, 1:17 left in the game, Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey, just returning to action after missing the first four weeks of the season while recovering from foot surgery, found himself on an island.
With the Ravens showing Cover Zero and bringing an all-out blitz, Humphrey was 1-on-1 with Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens. Humphrey, who appeared on the latest episode of his podcast “Punch Line Podcast” after the 17-10 loss to the Steelers, expected a back-shoulder throw from Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett to Pickens up the sideline to beat the blitz.
Instead, Pickett checked the route to Pickens, calling for a go route. Humphrey “opened up the gate,” allowing the Steelers’ second-year receiver to win downfield by separating late, leading to the game-winning score.
“They were throwing a lot of back shoulders, I thought it could have been a back shoulder coming, but Pickett put it on the money. Pickett put it on the money,” Humphrey said, according to video via the show’s YouTube page. “… But you get over it, you soak in it, you bathe in it, and then you wash it off.”
It can be hard being on an island as a cornerback. Not everyone can do it. Guys are going to give up big plays and lose in key situations.
Humphrey did that last Sunday as Pickens beat him deep, created separation late and scored the game-winning touchdown.
The Steelers knew the Ravens were going to go Cover Zero at some point win a key situation, like veteran cornerback Patrick Peterson pointed out, and they had a call to beat that Cover Zero look.
It helped that Pickett set the protection, signaled to Pickens the route to run, and then he won in a big-time spot and made a play.
Humphrey wasn’t exactly wrong for expecting a back-shoulder throw there to Pickens, considering that’s what Pickett and Pickens had been doing for much of the game, winning on sideline routes throughout the matchup in an effort to spark the offense. The Steelers did a nice job first of rope-a-doping the Ravens, getting them to expect one thing and then hitting them with something else.
It paid off in a major way, given the Steelers a much-needed win to move to 3-2, putting them on top of the AFC North entering the bye week.
